University of California Riverside Athletics Director Stan Morrison will answer selected questions from our online readers throughout the school year. To submit a question to "Ask Stan Morrison", click here.

Question:

"Dear Stan,
Can you please explain the significance of Title IX?
Thank you for your time.
Submitted by Azher Khan.

Stan's Reply :

"Dear Azher,
Over 30 years ago, in 1972, the United States government passed "Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972." This new law guaranteed equality for both genders in anything educational, athletic, etc. in our universities and in other parts of our society.

The wording from the preamble sum it up well. "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

For intercollegiate athletics, it meant that women would have as many scholarships as men. Coaches, regardless of gender, would have the same office space and recruiting budgets. Teams would have the same travel budgets regardless of gender. Locker rooms would be comparable as would the expenditure of funds for uniforms and equipment. Finally, people were forced to recognize that athletes, regardless of sex, deserved the same opportunities, support and funding. The amount of funding is to closely mirror the gender breakdown of the undergraduate students at the institution. Right now, for example, UCR has a 54% female student body and a 46% male population. Within a few percentage points, the funding should reflect those percentages.

Many universities were out of balance for years. Many did nothing to bring balance into their athletics programs. Then, several agencies and the United States Office of Civil Rights started investigating institutions to see if they were complying with the law that had been passed many years earlier. Because so many private and state institutions receive federal money for research etc., those funds were threatened with withdrawal if the athletics departments did not come into compliance with Title IX expectations. No President or Chancellor will allow the athletics program imbalance to be responsible for the loss of those millions of dollars of federal funds. The campus CEOs simply tell their Athletics Directors to "fix it, now!" Each institution has a formula for achieving compliance with the law. Some chose to cut men's programs to get into balance. Others chose to enhance women's programs to gain balance. Some choose a combination of both. The Office of Civil Rights demands a 5 year plan to reach equity and compliance. They monitor the plan closely. Heavy penalties follow if the plan is not achieved.

The most difficult scenarios are played out at institutions where they play football. The problem is the cost of football and the cost of equipment, travel, and salaries. There is no comparable sport for women to gain the balance needed. With men's and women's tennis or basketball or soccer, you have comparable sports. Not so for football. As a result, many schools have dropped their football programs due to their inability to raise sufficient funds for supporting many other women's sports or because their football programs were losing money. Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, and San Francisco State have all dropped their football programs to be in compliance with the law and to bring their budgets into the black.

Finally, any parent who has a son and daughter, would want to know implicitly that each was treated fairly if they have an opportunity to compete in intercollegiate athletics. That is one of the reasons I am so personally supportive of Title IX. It is the right thing to do. I hope this helps you understand Title IX and I hope you will come to see our men and women compete at the Division I level and in the Big West Conference.

"Braveheart is Alive!" - Stan Morrison